Pair jailed for violent attack on gay men in Kenya

"I tried to resist and I wanted to fight back. That's when one of them took a knife, held it at me and said: 'If you don't cooperate now, I will stab you and throw you out the window.' During the attack, the men were made to call family and friends to get them to transfer as much money as possible to the blackmailers' accounts. They were threatened with being outed to their families and killed if they did not comply."

"They tell you that you are not a normal citizen and they throw away your case. A paralegal from Ishtar noted that when LGBTQ+ people go to the police they are often harassed and discriminated against, with law enforcement dismissing their cases based on their sexual orientation rather than treating them as normal citizens deserving of legal protection."

Two individuals were sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery with violence against two gay men in Kenya. The victims, both in their mid-20s, were lured to a home where they were beaten by multiple attackers who stole their belongings and extorted money through threats of outing them to their families and violence. The attackers forced the victims to contact family and friends to transfer approximately 100,000 Kenyan shillings to their accounts. With support from Ishtar, an organization serving gay men, the victims reported the crime to police despite facing typical harassment and discrimination from law enforcement. This conviction represents a breakthrough moment for LGBTQ+ rights in Kenya, where homosexuality remains criminalized.

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